TOLDJA! Fox Acquires Online Book Sensation 'Wool'

Deadline revealed last week that 20th Century would acquire film rights to Hugh Howey bookWool, an e-book being called science fiction’s answer to Fifty Shades Of Grey. Here’s the confirmation:

RANDOM HOUSE’S CENTURY ACQUIRES NEW SELF-PUBLISHED PHENOMENON HUGH HOWEY WITH FILMS RIGHTS SNAPPED UP BY RIDLEY SCOTT AND STEVE ZAILLIAN FOR 20th CENTURY FOX

After a fierce bidding war reminiscent of Fifty Shades of Grey, 20th Century Fox has just acquired the film rights. Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free are partnering on the deal with Film Rites’ Steve Zaillian and Garrett Basch. Kassie Evashevski at United Talent Agency brokered the deal on behalf of Kristin Nelson at NLA.

In the spirit of The Hunger Games, Wool is a high-concept novel set in a stark future; the air outside is no longer breathable, so the last community on Earth lives underground in an enormous silo. Survival is everything, and some will do anything to ensure it. The upcoming Shift Trilogy is a prequel to the story of Wool.

After a hotly contested 5-way auction, Jack Fogg, Editorial Director at Century has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Wool and The Shift Trilogy by Hugh Howey from Jenny Meyer at Jenny Meyer Literary Agency on behalf of Kristin Nelson, president of The Nelson Literary Agency (NLA).

Much like EL James’s Fifty Shades trilogy, Wool has become a word-of-mouth sensation since the author self-published on Amazon.com, garnering over 600 five-star reviews and selling over 140,000 copies through e-book in just under six months. Century is the author’s only English-language publisher as the author will continue to self-publish in the US. Century will publish in hardback in January 2013 with an Arrow paperback in August. Ebook will be available immediately.

Foreign rights deals have also been struck in Spain, Brazil, Taiwan, Poland and China and offers are pending in Germany and other territories.

Hugh Howey says ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled and honoured to find a home with Century and Random House. And I hope I spelled honoured right.’

Jack Fogg says, ‘Wool drew me in from the first page. It’s such an intricately realised world – both incredibly visceral and visual – but for me, and for the many fans here at Random House, what really captivated was the book’s compassion and care for its characters. Wool is many things, but at its core it is a novel about relationships and therein lays its brilliance.’

Kristin Nelson says, ‘We did have conversations with US publishers and although we received several six-figure offers, we decided that the partnership didn’t make sense yet given the current electronic royalty rate being offered. We certainly have not closed the door to interested US parties.’

Hugh Howey spent eight years living on boats and working as a yacht captain for the rich and famous. It wasn’t until the love of his life carried him away from these vagabond ways that he began to pursue literary adventures, rather than literal ones. Hugh also wrote and self-published his first young adult novel, Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue.

11 Comments

50 Shades had every power player (EVERY POWER PLAYER) in the town lined up at the soho house. when has that happened before or since? how does this thing compare with that in any way shape or form?

it’s a nice little deal but 50 shades? c’mon.

Cuba libre • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

I think the comparison is just about successful ebooks because H’wood always needs to make comparisons. Content-wise, WOOL is to 50 shades what The Sopranos Is to Mafia Wives.

Plain and Simple • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

I’ve said it was, but I’ll say it again: WOOL rocks.

Mimi • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

I ‘ve read the Wool books… good stuff, and it’s delightful that Howey is an indie who chased his dream, and won.

Sounds as if American publishers were being cheap, and may have lost out.

Big Wooly Fan • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

Don’t know why they opted to make this a movie when it’s blatantly better suited for TV. Could’ve easily been Showtime’s answer to ‘Game of Thrones.’ He must’ve wanted all his zeroes on one paycheck. Silly rabbit.

Actually • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

Think its better suited as a series of films!

Cali • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

I guess I need to check this one out. I wish someone would adapt the Morganville Vampire series. That one would be great for a TV series or made into a few movies.

Justin • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

This movie sounded better when it was called “City of Ember”.

Brian • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

Perhaps if you’d paid attention in high school literature, you’d have learned that similar concepts can spawn wildly different stories.

cousin sam • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

Warmest congratulations to this generation who stood on our shoulders, (why not, we stood on the shoulders of all those who went before! We didn’t want a hand-out just a bit of a heave up!) Damn it’s great to read stories like this – to see how you guys have not only taken our great inventions and discoveries but my god you’ve figured a way to break loose from the middle guys, bureaucrats and far-left/right freaks! (I once received an advance for a book related to the kidnapping of Patty Hearst way back in the 70s and according to Robert Bidinotto – the author of this well researched piece – not only have things NOT gotten any better for authors who have to grovel before publishers but it’s a hell of a lot worse! My book – even though it had a forward by Patty Hearst’s mother and exclusive photos of the SLA terrorist-kidnappers taken inside Vacaville prison prior to helping the murderous “General Cinque” break out – there were so many stumbling blocks with my publisher, by the time I was ready to submit, Patty Hearst had been captured, taken to trial and thrown in prison!)
This old war horse says keep inventing ways to do your thing if you believe in it. Just do it! Put it out there. We -the world – are waiting and we will vote with our pay-pal and follow-up critiques. I say to hell with big corporations, big government and mass anything. Unleash the individual and let me read something unique! And thanks to Robert Bidinotto for educating even this old war horse.

Wes Davis • on May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

My apologies to Mike Flemming who I should have mentioned as having enhanced Mr Bidnotto’s very helpful piece on the world of Ebook self-publishing. But what the hell, it just gets better with what Mike picks up on how self-publishing authors like Wool’s Huge Howley also get his book swept up in a “fierce Hollywood Bidding war.” So thanks to Mr. Flemming for making a great story even better – much appreciate.